Monday

Discussing what is currently one of the hottest topics of underground coal, Georgia firm Strata Mine Products teamed with the University of Kentucky and Engineering Consulting Services to present the most up-to-date information on emergency shelters approved by West Virginia, which has paved the regulatory path on the subject.

The presenters provided an outline of the state's requirements on design and capabilities for the chambers in the state, including the ability to sustain blasts underground. In an effort to prove the ability of Strata's shelter line, ECSI worked with the supplier to perform an independent certification of the units.

Much of the information included the steps that encompassed the consultant's review, while questions from audience members spanned technology innovation updates to the specific testing results.

Another presentation during the same session touched on another area vital to underground mining – roof control. Representatives from Hilti presented details on work that it has done with producer Foundation Coal on fastening technology and the applications of the Hilti's DX 460 actuated powder unit.

The device is now in use by a majority of mine rescue teams for a special application, that of temporary ventilation control installations, and has been put to work in some of the nation's recent incidents including the Sago explosion and the Excel mine fire.

As part of its informational presentation, Hilti also touched on the DX 460's other applications – barricade installation, the placement of lifeline and communication infrastructure. Additionally, the unit continues to be a success for operations that install grout bags quickly and efficiently at longwall tailgates.

Tuesday

The second full day of sessions at SME also ran the gamut of topics; one that was met with a standing-only crowd covered the new and emerging technologies of US mining. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health kicked off the presentation group with its work on the Smart Mine fire sensor that underwent field tests underground.

The researchers noted that the impetus for the testing was to learn the abilities and capabilities of the unit to know the difference between true emergency levels and false alarms from "nuisance emissions" that include cutting and welding emissions and diesel exhaust.

The group found that some areas of the unit's design met or exceeded the needs of underground operations, such as in the belt area testing it completed; however, for other regions of the mine – specifically the haulage path and track entries – the device fell short of requirements and more development is needed.

Regardless, NIOSH noted, the sensor is "viable" as an option for the future of miner safety.

On a similar note, NIOSH also took the stage to present the latest details of its Coal Dust Explosability Meter (CDEM), which recently underwent field testing at mines in two MSHA regions across the US (District 2 and District 11). The results have been promising, the researchers noted, with the unit's capabilities meeting parallel tests done in a laboratory setting – and some tests even identifying results the laboratory did not.

The development and testing of the CDEM has been a priority for the research team at the Pittsburgh Research Laboratory, one expert told ILN after the session. The agency's intent for presentation of the unit's details is to promote its capabilities and potential for use at any mine.

Wednesday

While Wednesday, the final day of the event, was not a full day for the exposition, there was no shortage of cutting-edge information upstairs at the meeting's host venue in the technical sessions.

A highlight of the morning's discussions was another NIOSH expert, Elaine Cullen, who presented a new miner safety kit developed by the agency – entitled "Tame the Flame" – on cutting and welding safety underground.

The topic has especially taken centre stage since the Darby mine incident of 2006, and was part of the impetus for the kit's establishment.

Comprising a video, curriculum for safety managers, a calendar, incentive items and safety tips, the "Tame the Flame" kit is meant to increase miners’ awareness of proper cutting torch and welding equipment use while underground near gas concentrations.

The kits will be available to mines in the very near future, Cullen noted, as its final reviews are pending.

In the kit's development phase, researchers worked with a collection of mining engineering students to conduct an ethnographic study to determine the most vital areas the information needed to encompass and the behaviours currently in use by the nation's miners.

Cullen noted that the agency is anxious to see the feedback of mines given the success the group had in the research and development phase of the program.